Galway to Leenane

28^th April

GALWAY TO LEENANE

After a night of luxury in the Radisson Blu Galway & enjoying breakfast overlooking Galway Bay it was time to explore the sights.

Raddison Hotel

We packed the rucksack & walked the city firstly to the Spanish Arch where we saw a flock of white swans being fed & a couple of fellows learning to juggle.

Spanish Arch

Walked along the River Corrib to the Galway Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven, this is the most opulent church that we have seen so far filled with gold, large pictures made up of very tiny mosaic tiles, marble alter, floors all of granite slabs & a marvelous painted dome ceiling. The wealth of the Catholic Church was evident in this cathedral.

Galway Cathedral

After we left here still in awe we stumbled upon fishermen up to their waists in the freezing river fishing most likely for salmon, it seemed like they had the attention of the whole town we assume they were American to command such an audience. Later we found that this spot was named Salmon Weir.

Walking back to the car we crossed Eyre Square with the Padraic O’Conaire Monument. The square seemed to be the gathering place of an odd assortment of misfits. One local spotted us tourists & came to talk to Johnny giving him a 3 page dissertation on the square & Galway history & how it was all being destroyed by council. I snuck away & took photos of all the flags.

Eyre Square

Leaving Galway we followed the coast road to Spiddel & had our best lunch yet at the café Bulin Blasta in the craft village, taking a photo for the Combi fans as we left. Here I found a perfect gift for one of our girl’s ssshhh! I cannot say what here as they read the blog.

Cafe Bulin Blasta & the Combi

We followed the lovely coastal road through Inveran,Carna & other pretty little towns as it looped around Kilkieran Bay & Bertraghboy Bay then turned inland to drive along the edge of the Derryclare Lough to the Kilemore Lough as we crossed this lough were it joined Pollacappul lake we could see in the distance Kilemore Castle sitting snug into the mountain & taking up the whole space.

One of the many Loughs

It was late for Castle entry but we had an hour so we went on in not realizing what a treasure this place was. It was my choice so naturally I chose the walled garden Yes, another walled garden. We rushed past the Sacred Heart statue & caught the last shuttle bus which drove us through the tree lined woodland passing lakes, a grotto & children’s play trail. 

Kylemore’s Walled Garden just made me stop in my tracks as we passed through the gate. It is huge 6 acres in total, built on a bog, dived by a stream into two sections the Kitchen Garden & the Flower garden. Not knowing which way to walk I just took a million photos from the top of the rise then, conscious of the time took a stroll around the outside trail.

The Flower Garden

The Flower Garden looking over kitchen Garden

Looking inside ‘the Bothy’ a tiny house astounded to read that in the day it accommodated 6 under-gardeners, today it has two beds & I cannot see how more could fit in unless they slept standing. In contrast the Head Gardeners House was a lovely elegant villa style home filled with furniture & household items from the early 1900’s.

This used to sleep six Where?

The Bothy outside

Ensuite anyone? Old world poe in case of emergency. 

Head gardeners Dining Room

The garden is built on a slope back into the hillside so has good drainage & sunshine. There were ruins of 21 glasshouses that were used to grow exotic fruits & flowers they have restored 2 with no plan to restore any more. The Flower garden was filled with many plants that I just love & some I have had in my Sydney garden. Perennials that were bursting with new growth, roses my favourite, annual flowers mainly pansies, a fern garden, woodland, bulb’s by the 1,000’s huge herbaceous border that lined the centre path in both sides to hide the kitchen garden that they believed should not be seen.  

Rose arbour

 

Herbaceous border

Perennial Borders that hide the Kitchen garden

Fern & palm garden that followed the creek

Suffice to say I hope the pictures tell the story but it was my dream garden taken straight from the pages in the books I have on my spare room shelves. I was in love but forced to leave as they closed the gates for the day. We walked to the car last to leave passed by staff in their cars heading for home as we walked to the car park.

And they did it all with these tools & sheer man power

The Irish have been cutting peat out of the bog for centuries.  It is cut wet and laid out to dry in rows for a season.   The following year the dried out peat is gathered up and used for fuel.   Sharon was amazed to see these little monuments of peat spread out along the mountain landscape in various places on our journey.  Although it is now not as widespread due to modern processes which compress the peat into brikettues a lot of people still use the old fashioned method of using a spade to cut the turf by hand.

More sheep this one so cute curled up on the side of road

Peat dug from the & bog & stacked to dry for the season 

After driving around the local area looking for a place to stay for almost an hour finding there was very little & what there was had been booked or was just not somewhere we wanted to sleep we finally decided to head to Clifden & found lovely accommodation at Leenane Hotel. Settling in quickly having dinner & finding the lounge for a night cap.